Death and All His Friends
by x-LiveFantasy-x
Summary: Mariko is going to die. There's no way around it. Diagnosed with a rare type of cancer, her chances of survival are slim. Her best friend Raiden wishes he could take the pain from her, but all he can do is make a promise. A promise that they will always be together, even in death. Little does he know that the pact she's creating with him and their classmates may damn them all...
1. Chapter 1

**Greetings to all readers :) **

**My name is x-LiveFantasy-x, but you can call me Fantasy if you want. Some of you might know me through my Ib fanfiction called **_**The Four **_**which was completed in… September? Yeah, I think it was September. Well, that isn't the only 2D RPG I'm abnormally obsessed with, and that unhealthy obsession led to the birth of this story. I wanted to write more intense horror, which this will have. Violent deaths galore! I'm not going to neglect the sequel to **_**The Four, **_**though. For all you seasoned readers of my work I'd like to happily inform you that the sequel will be up within the week. But enough about that story, let's focus on this one. This will not really include any of the characters from the Corpse Party game. It will include a lot of OC's, but some familiar faces will pop up now and again. There will be some descendents of familiar characters though *wink wink*. The romantic aspects and the violent, horror aspects will be equal here (tipping more towards the horror side). I'm hoping this will be a really good one, considering my writing has improved a lot in the six months or so that I've dropped off the face of . Thanks to all my fans for giving me great feedback in all my work and I hope for as much feedback for this one! Now, without further ado, I give you **_**Death and All His Friends. **_**I almost cried writing this first chapter, so I hope you stick with it past the tears even if it's a little slow to start.**

**Arrivederci, **

**x-LiveFantasy-x**

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"We're very sorry, Miss Akota, but we have some bad news…"

Mariko didn't hear much of what followed. The words coming out of the doctor's mouth were muddled and confusing. So many medical terms were used that she was convinced he wasn't speaking any known human language. She gripped the table she was sitting on, the metal cold under her fingertips. The lights seemed to bright all of a sudden, the sounds too loud, the room too small. The smell of alcohol that was not noticeable before now thickly coated her nostrils. Why? She needed to keep her mind on anything but what he was saying. Staring at her knees, she couldn't help but count the bruises all over her legs and arms. They never bothered her before because she was so prone to them, but now they stuck out like warning signs. Like bulls-eyes for Death's scythe. The pain, the bruises… it all made sense now.

The only thing that managed to get through her sensory barrier was:

"T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia. Her kind will be very hard to treat, if we even can. It will be expensive and painful, but without it she only has a year, maybe six months…"

That's all Mariko could take. The room began to spin, closing fast. Her vision tunneled and the smell of alcohol burned in her lungs. She slipped off the table but never felt the impact of the floor. Her mom screamed, but even that was washed out by the darkness.

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"_Come on, slowpoke!" Raiden cried as he rounded the street corner. The trees were full of green leaves and the air smelled like spring. Mariko loved spring because it was the time of life and rebirth, and the light seemed to bless everything it touched with a glow of dewy happiness, including her. People passed by them, reveling in their youthful outbursts. It was true; even though they were both very smart for their age, they held on to a kind of sophomoric lifestyle that only children could enjoy. She giggled and tried to follow, but she wasn't nearly as fast as him. Even though they were both around the same age – her six and him seven – he'd already shot up three inches. He could run much faster than her. "You used to be faster than me! What happened, short-stack?"_

"_Hey!" She protested, and ran full speed towards him, knocking him over when he stopped. With a cry they both tumbled down the green hill. The sky and ground blended in her vision to the point that she couldn't tell which was which anymore. When they reached the bottom, Raiden and Mariko were both laughing, lying side by side looking at the sky. _

_As Ryn picked grass out of his pitch-black hair, Mariko winced and rolled up her pants leg to reveal a large bruise. It was nasty and black-and-blue. Raiden's face fell, but he tried his best to keep the laughter in his tone, "We just fell down the hill, not off Taipei-101! How'd you get that?"_

"_I always bruise," she rolled down her cuff and waved it off. "I'll be fine."_

"_Want me to kiss it? Make it better?"_

"_Ew, no way!" She giggled, and they completely forgot about the incident. _

_They spent the rest of the day in the little grassy area below the hill. Mariko could see the tip of Raiden's house at the top, over the green crest. It was easy; Raiden's house was one of the biggest in town. His parents were wealthy, but a lot their money went to charity. He was fortunate to have such giving parents to learn from. He'd always joked that Mariko could always find her way back to his house if she just looked above the trees. She wanted so badly to just walk up the hill and visit Raiden and his parents…_

"_Mariko? Mariko?" She could hear a voice calling to her. Her mother? Was she calling her home so soon? It wasn't even dusk! Mariko wasn't sure how she was able to hear her from so far away, but when she turned around to say goodbyes to Raiden, he wasn't there. The hill had gone, and the tip of his house was no longer visible. The valley melted around her, and reality conformed to her vision…_

"Raiden!" She sat bolt upright in bed, her breath escaping her lungs in a huge burst. She breathed heavily as she realized it was just a dream. Slowly, as she gripped the white sheets in her trembling hands, she recalled the day's events. The doctor. The diagnosis. No, not the diagnosis… the _death sentence. _She realized then what her life has come to and exactly where it was going. In six months she would be six feet under.

Mariko began to sob bitterly and loudly into her shaking hands, drowning in her sorrow. No amount of prayers or hopes or wishes could save her. Her mother came in a few minutes later and curled up with her, and together they cried until they both fell asleep in each other's arms, not a word exchanged between them until the sun rose.

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_Meet me at Kiyoshi Park in ten._

Raiden Nakamura was confused by the sudden text message from Mariko at six thirty in the morning. The sudden sound of his phone vibrating on his wooden end table shocked him awake. As he wondered what she could possibly want, he got out of bed and flicked his light on. He pulled a shirt on and some jeans while he replied:

_This early?_

He knew he would go anywhere for Mariko if it was that important, but it didn't help to ask. He fished in his closet for his favorite jacket, but it was awfully hard to find amidst all the other fancy yet unnecessary articles of clothing bestowed upon him by his parents. He tried to quell the flow of gifts his parents gave him, but every time they went on trips his mother insisted on getting him lots of clothes. His phone buzzed again as he finished shoving his arms into the sleeves of his worn black leather jacket.

_Please, Raiden. I really, really need your help right now. _

This made him even more concerned, but he said:

_Well now I have to come. I'll see you._

He shut off the light and quietly snuck past his parent's room. He took the steps two at a time and locked the front door behind him before he left. The air outside was crisp with the air of late fall, and nearly all the leaves had fallen off the trees and coated the ground. It was the image of decay and death balanced out by the beautiful colors of autumn. Beautiful and melancholy at the same time. He rounded the corner and approached the grassy hill that marked the beginning of Kiyoshi Park. The grass, usually a vibrant green, was now a sandy brown color. The ground crunched and crumbled under his feet, and thin lines of steam escaped his lips as he began to descend down the hill.

He saw Mariko immediately. She looked like a ray of sunshine in the middle of a barren field. She had bright, light gold hair and the same colored eyes, and everything about her screamed "sunshine". She was luminous and made everything about where she was and who she was around a little brighter. She was wearing a regular shirt and stockings, with an old coat of hers and a hat, but she looked stunning to Raiden like usual. As he approached her, he had a smile on his face, but when she turned around and he saw her expression, his smile disappeared. He quickened his pace until he was right in front of her. Close up, he could tell she had been crying. She looked at him for about one second then collapsed into him and began to cry. Raiden didn't need any other cue; he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair.

"It's okay," he said, closing his eyes . "Mariko, I'm here. It's okay…"

"No, it's not…" she sniffed and pulled back from him, her hands still gripping his jacket like she was scared he would disappear if she let go completely.

"What happened?" He gripped her shoulders tightly. "Come on. Out with it."

"I…"

"You know you can tell me anything."

"I know, Raiden. Of course I know that," she composed herself a little and wiped her eyes. She took a deep breath and said, "I went to the doctor yesterday… and…"

Raiden's eyes narrowed as Mariko trailed off, and anger began to boil inside of him, full of jealousy and disdain. He looked her straight in the eye and said. "Oh God, are you pregnant Mariko? If I ever find the crazy son of a bitch who did that to you, I swear to every god I know –"

"Raiden –"

"I mean it, Mariko. Was it consensual? Did someone rape you? Shit, we need to call the police or something, or tell your mom at least –"

He didn't stop his angry rant until he saw that Mariko was laughing and crying at the same time. He deflated a little bit and said, "What's so funny?"

"You, silly! I'm not pregnant. Of course I'm not pregnant," she said, her smile losing luster. "I wish I were…"

"What are you…?"

"Raiden, I have cancer."

At first, Raiden didn't feel anything. Then slowly, almost torturously, those three words sunk into his soul, and he could almost hear his heart tearing inside his chest. He could hear the blood pumping in his ears, and the beat was almost enough to drown out all the sounds around him. Suddenly, the shoulders he was clutching, the hands on his chest, and the eyes staring at his waiting for a reply became too real. It was like he was staring at her through a veil until that moment, and as it lifted, a clock began to count down, signaling he was too late to do anything. His whole world seemed to shatter.

"Raiden?" Her voice suddenly broke through to him through his numb senses. She moved her hands from his jacket and pressed her hands onto the sides of his face. "Say something, please."

He didn't know how, but he managed to say with a strangled breath, "How long?"

"Without treatment, I have six months to a year. It's a rare and vicious form of leukemia." She couldn't even look at him while she said it.

"Without treatment?"

"Raiden –"

"Is it because you can't afford it?" He was just rattling off words now to make himself feel better. "I can give you all the money you need to get treated. What is it, chemotherapy? Something else? I'll talk to my parents, beg even, but they'll say yes if they know it's for you. They love you –"

"It's not a money issue."

"Then you're getting treated, right?" He searched her eyes for an answer, even if he didn't know if he would like what he found.

"I…"

"Right?"

She let go of his face and stepped back a few steps before sitting on the dying field of grass and hugged herself. "It would take a miracle. I'm not even going to bother. Either way, I don't have much time, regardless of whether I have six months or three years. Either way, I know what road I'm traveling, and it's not going to end in me living."

Raiden turned and sat down next to her, looking sideways at her distant expression fixed palely at the dirt. "Why wouldn't you save yourself the pain, then? Without treatment…"

"It would be painful, yes, but with chemo or whatever drug they prescribe me I'll live my last years feeling sickly. It'll be worse than just dying… I'll be practically rotting. I don't want to live like that."

"But you don't know if it will help you or not."

"No, I don't."

"It could save your life."

"That's a one in a million chance," she smiled weakly.

He nudged her shoulder and said, "Well, you're too special to die, Mari. Not on my watch."

"That's sweet of you, but I still don't want to take the treatment. It almost seems like a feeble attempt at saving my life, giving people the hope I may survive. I'd hate to think those hopes that will be dashed when I die, leaving only scars in their place. And I _am _going to die." She said. "But… I want to enjoy my last months on earth, so don't treat me like a kitten without three legs. I want life to go on, okay?"

"I can't just ignore this."

"I don't want you to ignore it, I just want you to remember me as I was," she explained. "I'm going to tell the whole class tomorrow. I'd like you to be up there with me to help explain it. I… I don't know if I can do it alone. Can you do that for me?"

"Of course, Mariko," he said. "Of course I will."

She let out a long sigh and scooted over to him, leaning on his shoulder. Well, half on his shoulder; he was much taller than her. They were the strangest friends; the ray of sun sitting nuzzled up against the shadow. For Mariko, it was completely platonic, but for Raiden it was more than that. He didn't know when he began to fall in love with Mariko, but he was nonetheless, and just being close to her was a blessing.

But in six months, that would all be over, and he couldn't do a thing about it.


	2. Chapter 2

**So how did you all like chapter 1? I can tell this story is going to be emotionally taxing to write, but isn't every story? Well, enjoy chapter 2! By the way, I'm also working on some fan art for both my ongoing stories. If you're lucky I'll post them *wink*. And also remember to rate and review, because I don't know what I'm doing wrong if you don't tell me. Thanks! :)**

**Arrivederci,**

**x-LiveFantasy-x**

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When Mariko shut her locker door, Raiden was standing behind it, his face unreadable. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and bade him a feeble, "Hey."

"Are you seriously okay with this?" His eyebrows knit together. "You don't have to tell everyone if you don't want to."

"No, it's fine. I've thought it through; this isn't something I can hide and I'd rather I told them myself," she shuddered. "God forbid they found out a different way…"

They walked down the hall in silence, which they did often. At that point in their relationship, they didn't need to be talking all the time. Somehow, one always knew what the other was feeling, so exchanging words wasn't necessary. It was like the connection identical twins have; they could be anywhere, be doing anything, and always feel the other. They could hate the other's guts and still sense the little invisible cord that pulled their souls together. The bonds of friendship run deeper in some then they do in others, and in the case of Mariko and Raiden, they were as deep as scars.

They approached their homeroom with ample time to spare. Mariko stalled in front of the door, her hand frozen by her side. Raiden opened his mouth to try and dissuade her again, but she held up a hand to silence him and pushed the door open.

Their homeroom was relatively small compared to others. In their school, freshmen and seniors had their own homerooms, but due to being short-staffed the sophomores and juniors are all meshed together. Mariko was thankful for that because Raiden was a junior and she was a sophomore. Mariko had many friends and was very popular among the sophomore not only for her beautiful looks but her stunning personality, but she never put Raiden on the back burner for anyone else.

Inside there were six people sitting in various places in random groups at miscellaneous tables. In the center of the room, Yuji Sato sat tinkering with something, broken pens and what looked like dismantled staple gun parts scattered around his desk. Yuji could make a machine gun out of paper and doilies, which is why so many people are fascinated with and terrified by him. His look was even unique; his hair was made up of short tendrils of chocolate brown streaked with blood-red tones and his eyes were like giant rubies.

On the far side of the room, a boy with honey colored hair and a girl with dark eyes were sitting together. The girl was Kairi Suzuki and the guy was Takeshi Matsui, two people Mariko had prayed wouldn't be there when she delivered the news. Kairi was sitting on Takeshi's lap and giggling as he flirted nonsensically with her. Kairi stole a glance at Mariko and smiled wickedly at her while Mariko rolled her eyes and took a seat as far away from the vile couple as possible. Everyone knew that Kairi despised Mariko for some unknown reason. Mariko had heard that she was asserting her power over Takeshi, who had been mildly infatuated with Mariko years before. Mariko always thought Kairi was just jealous of her, be it her looks or her popularity. Nevertheless, Kairi's words and actions stung her core no matter how much she tried to ignore her. Takeshi followed her lead blindly.

Osamu Watanabe and Kioshi Fumazaki – the nerd and the quiet one – were talking quietly by themselves. Not much was known about either of them, other than that Osamu thought he was too smart for friends and a social life and Kioshi longed to be like him. Everyone thought that Kioshi was gay for Osamu, but Mariko hated making assumptions like that about people, so she assumed they were just friends.

Sitting alone next to a window with good sun was the new student. Aya Mochida was her name and she seemed to be immersed in a book. Normally, she would be talking to other students or making dry humor jokes, but she was silent when she had a book in her hands. She was a lovely girl with thick caramel colored hair and eyes like golden honey, but no boys ever talked to her. They all got shot down within three seconds of opening their mouths. That's why Mariko and Aya got along so well right out of the starting gate: they could hold their own. Aya looked up for a moment and waved at Mariko, and Mariko retuned her smile.

"Hello?" a little figure appeared at the door. "Anyone home?"

"Aiko, hi!" Mariko said, putting on a cheery smile for the little girl. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Junior high doesn't start for another half hour, silly," Aiko said, moving towards Mariko's desk. "I'm here to drop something off to Mr. Yamaha."

Aiko Azume was an eighth grader from the connecting junior high school. She had a free period in the beginning of the day, so she was a runner to the high school. Needless to say she was there often because Mr. Yamaha's phone had been broken for three months. She looked so much younger then she was, with her enormous sea-green eyes and extra-long auburn hair, but acted older than anyone in the room. Teachers trusted her with everything.

"Right on the desk, there," Mariko pointed. As she stuck the envelope she was holding in his desk drawer, Mariko added, "You can stay for a bit if you want."

"Thanks," Aiko said. 'I was planning to. I have 20 minutes to spare."

Aiko joined Aya in the corner, rattling off questions about her book. Mariko was starting to feel better about the whole "telling people" thing. She felt herself relaxing knowing that so many people would understand where she was coming from. She knew she had to do it soon, before Mr. Yamaha arrived. Not that he would care that much; he was very passive.

She stood up from her chair and tugged on Raiden's jacket. She gave him a nod and he followed her to the middle of the room. Mariko hated being on the spot like that, but she wasn't sure what else to do.

"Hey guys," she said loud enough for everyone to hear. She was thankful to get everyone's eyes on her the first time. She felt her palms begin to sweat and she could feel herself shaking lightly. She was glad that Raiden was there, because she would have passed out if she were alone. "I, uh… I have something to tell you."

Aiko stood up and asked, "What's wrong, Mar?"

Aya closed her book and turned towards her, her eyes full of concern. "We're listening. Go ahead."

Mariko mustered every last bit of her strength and said, "I went to the doctor yesterday, and he told me that I have a rare form of cancer. I have six months to a year to live."

Silence followed her simple yet powerful sentence. No one spoke for a moment while the information sunk in. Mariko wasn't friends with some of the people in the room, but even the people she never talked to before like Kioshi and Osamu looked horror-stricken. Aiko broke the silence by rushing over to Mariko, hugging her around the waist and saying, "Oh, Mariko…"

"How could this happen?" Aya's face was downcast. "I can hardly believe it."

"Me either," Yuji had dropped his little mechanism and it broke on the floor, but he didn't look like he cared. She didn't talk to Yuji that much, but they'd been in the same class since Kindergarten.

_Everyone cares so much… _At tear slipped down Mariko's cheek, and she was fully aware of Aiko and Raiden at her sides and the others around her who were so sorrowful after hearing the news. So many people actually gave a damn what happened to her. It made her so happy to know how many people cared about her…

Then Kairi spoke up from the back of the room.

"You really believe all this crap?" She raised a heavily-penciled eyebrow and slipped off Takeshi's lap.

"She doesn't need this right now, Kairi," Aya hissed as Kairi sauntered over to them.

"Can't you see it? Little miss 'feel sorry for me' is _obviously_ doing this to get attention," Kairi was now right in front of Mariko's face, and Mariko felt small compared to her. She reached out and took a lock of Mariko's hair between her long, red fingernails. She looked straight into Mariko's eyes and smirked, "Cancer? That's all you could come up with? How come you still have all this pretty hair, then?"

Mariko swatted her hand away, her face twisting into a scowl. "If you had two brain cells to rub together, you'd know why I still have all this 'pretty hair'."

"Listen, bitch," Kairi was steaming now. "You might have everyone else fooled, but I'll believe you're dying when your body is in a coffin. Until then, you're still a little stuck up, attention begging goody that can't get popular without lying."

"Says the girl who lies about everything," a voice came from behind her. Kairi whirled around, her eyes angry enough to blister, to see that it was Kioshi who had spoken up. Kioshi, who never talked, much less insulted anyone. Mariko barely knew what his voice even sounded like. This was momentous.

After thoroughly staring him down with a look sharper then daggers, she turned back to Mariko, her face less angry and more stoic and smug. "And even if she _was _dying, the world would be rid of one more uppity airhead."

Raiden stepped forward and blocked Kairi from Mariko, setting her back a foot. His face was rigid as he sneered, "Step off, Kairi. _Now._"

Kairi opened her mouth to say something else, but Takeshi got up and tugged on her sleeve. "Come on, Kai. Let's go."

She stepped back, but Raiden didn't move. Mariko had lost her ability to form coherent words long before Kairi even opened her mouth. Kairi followed Takeshi away from the stunned group, eyes following them both.

That wasn't the even strange part. As she stepped by Raiden, she traced a finger up his chest, her eyes full of a sudden and unexplainable desire, and said with a sultry tone, "And there would be less competition, too."

Before anyone could reply, the door slammed shut.

Raiden immediately turned around and took Mariko by the shoulders. She could tell he was stunned too. "Are you okay?"

"I…" Mariko had no words. Aiko tightened her grip on Mariko's hand.

Aya and Yuji had gotten up, but they weren't staring at Mariko. No, they were staring at something at the door.

_Please, please don't let it be Kairi again, _Mariko thought with a whimper.

Everyone turned around to see what was there, and what they saw wasn't Kairi. Not even the teacher. No, what they saw was something no one could comprehend.

Standing at the door was Tsukiko Kishinuma.

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Accompanied by her brother, Tsukiko made her way into the classroom. Every eye on her was full of disbelief and shock. They had right to; everyone thought she had dropped out of school.

Hiroshi Kishinuma stuck to her side like glue. Though his face didn't say it, they all knew that if anyone dared say anything hurtful to his sister, he would tear them limb from limb, no matter how passive he seemed to be.

Raiden couldn't believe his eyes. It had been four months since anyone had seen hide or hair of the lovely, broken Tsukiko. He could see in her expression her time to herself had changed her. She was always a good student and never missed a day of school in her life. Raiden saw her everywhere around town; riding her bike, going to the farmer's market, running errands with her brother for her parents. She was a happy soul with not a care in the world…

Until August 9th happened.

After that day, Tsukiko hadn't been seen anywhere. If it weren't for her brother constantly reporting her status at school, many would have assumed she committed suicide. She was in the perfect frame of mind to consider it and had all the time in the world to think about it. For some reason, thought, Raiden never thought she would be able to. He always remembered her as the lighthearted girl from school and not the despondent, pitied figure that never left the house after that tragic day.

Tsukiko didn't even take a seat. She went straight up to the group, and they parted for her. She stood in front of Mariko, her arms folded and her back slightly hunched over self-consciously. Raiden moved to get Mariko away, but she held up her hand and approached Tsukiko.

"I heard about what happened," Mariko said to her. "I understand now."

Tsukiko nodded. "I know. I know about you, too."

Raiden was very confused at their silent exchange, but Mariko looked like she fully understood everything.

"I'd like you to come to my house today after school," Tsukiko handed Mariko a slip of paper, probably with her address on it. "I want to talk to you."

Mariko took the slip of paper and smiled the first real, genuine smile she had all day. "I look forward to it. Thank you."

Tsukiko nodded, her expression that of relief, and turned to walk back to her brother. Everyone looked confused and unsettled by the conversation. Raiden turned back to Mariko, who was smiling and crying at the same time. She was the only one who looked… happy.

He didn't think he would ever be able to understand everything she could.


	3. Chapter 3

**Many thanks to DesinyHeart13 for being the first reviewer! You receive a long-distance hug through the Internet! **

**It's Saturday and all I have to do is wait for stuff to download on my computer and hope it doesn't crash. So I'll write chapter 3 for you. Savvy?**

**x-LiveFantasy-x**

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Mariko had never been inside the Kishinuma household before. When she walked in the door she found herself in a cozy space that wasn't too big or too small. There were no lights on because it was the middle of the day, and the numerous floor-to-ceiling windows surrounded by thick mahogany frames let in liberal amounts of light. A lot of the furniture looked old, like antiques, and there were lots of paintings adorning the walls.

Her room was even nicer. The light touched it just right at every angle. The walls were ivory as well as the dresser and mirror, and the bed was covered in lilac flowery bedspread with a purple canopy that had been drawn up to the wall on a hook. The shelves were lined with books and a few strange, very old articles. Mariko remembered her doing a lot of projects on antiques, so she must have had a thing for old stuff. The two bookshelves were on opposite sides of a huge window, and between them was little bench, maybe for reading, maybe for just looking out the window on a sunny day.

"It's not a castle, but its home," Tsukiko said, tossing her bag into a corner. "My parents are at work and my brother is tutoring at school."

"Your brother tutors?" Mariko asked, a bit shocked.

"You look surprised," Tsukiko gave a meek smile. "A lot of people are. My brother doesn't look it, but he's got a 4.0 GPA."

Hiroshi was always that guy who kind of hung back, examining people but not speaking unless he had a reason to. His temper was short but his attitude was very calm, cool, and collected. He seemed to have a solution to every problem, every fix, and every tight spot anyone he knew ever got into. He never seemed like the scholarly type to Mariko, though.

"I never talked to him much," Mariko said, recalling in her mind the few times she had worked with Hiroshi on projects and going on class trips with him, but not much else.

"No one ever does," Tsukiko shrugged. "Except for me. I'm hoping that I'll get him to come out of his shell a little emotions-wise. Especially now that I'll be back in school and he won't have to worry anymore…"

It was silent for a moment after Tsukiko trailed off. Then Mariko finally came out and asked, "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why all of a sudden do you come back to school? Why do you suddenly talk to me even though we were never really great friends before?"

Tsukiko sat on her bed and picked the nail on her thumb nervously. "It's… complicated."

"I know complicated."

"Which is exactly the reason why I wanted to talk to you," Tsukiko said.

"I don't…"

"How did you take the news?"

A jolt ran through Mariko's body. "The news?"

"Of your sickness. How did you take the news?" Tsukiko prompted.

"I…" Mariko said, tense for a moment, before following up with, "I passed out. Woke up in the middle of the night and cried until morning. It was the worst day of my life, like nothing mattered anymore. I was scared, I was confused, and most of all, I was angry.

"I wanted to know why this happened," Mariko confessed. "I thought, 'Why me? I'm a good person. I'm not a sinner or a criminal.' I've never stepped a toe out of line, though God saw it fit to punish me with an early death. Suddenly my whole life was ripped out from under me. I could never get married, have kids, or have a job that I love that helps others gain happiness in turn. You have no idea how long I prayed, how many times I leaded with some higher being – if there's even anyone up there – to give me back my future, but eventually I realized that no one could give me a second chance."

Mariko stopped when she realized Tsukiko was crying. She was quickly going about wiping the tears as they fell, trying to hide them, but Mariko knew a sad soul when she saw one.

"That's exactly what you have been feeling all this time, hasn't it?"

Tsukiko nodded, pressing her face into her hands. Mariko almost didn't hear it, but she could have sworn Tsukiko said, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Understanding," she was smiling now. "You understand."

Mariko got up from her chair and sat on the bed with Tsukiko, and she sobbed into her shoulder. This was what Mariko was born to do: comfort people. It's what she did best; there was always just something about her that made people want to let it all out. Her very aura made people feel better and she knew that all too well. _Poor Tsukiko… _she thought as the little girl next to her wracked with sobs.

Tsukiko sniffed and said, "He used to call me Moony."

"Who?"

"Katsuro," she said. "Because I'm so pale. He always loved my skin even though I hated it; my hair and eyes too."

Mariko had recalled hearing him call her that, too. It was like when Raiden called her a ray of sun; Tsukiko was a moonbeam. Her skin was so pale it almost looked white. Her hair was near white at the roots, fading to ivory, then into slightly darkening silvery tones at her tips. Her eyes were pale silver, like huge discs of platinum. She was beautiful, but she always seemed to be so self conscious about her unique looks.

"I'm glad you're talking about it," Mariko said. "I'm so glad you're coming back to school. It's a hard thing to come back from, losing someone like that, but you're being strong and I admire that."

"It hurts so much, though," Tsukiko hugged herself, the tears already dry from her eyes. Lots of practice quelling tears would do that to a person.

"I know," Mariko assured her. _Believe me, I do._

"I really connected to what you said about having your whole future ripped out from under you," Tsukiko said glumly. "It was like that when it happened. I could never see myself moving on after him. How could I get married and have children knowing the love of my life will always be him? And he's gone?"

Katsuro was Tsukiko's boyfriend. They were the loveliest couple Mariko had ever had the pleasure to know. They may as well have been married already, they were that inseparable. They were the classic story of the classic double-friendzone: where they both liked each other, but they both thought the other only thought of them as a friend and nothing more. It pops up everywhere, and in their case it lasted years. Finally, in the eighth grade, Katsuro finally – _finally – _worked up the nerve to ask her out, and the rest is history. Though they were young, they loved each other unconditionally. Not only were they going out, they were best friends. Happiness just oozed out of them and brightened the room when they were together.

And then August 9th happened.

It was right before the bell rang at school that Katsuro told them about how he was going skiing in the mountains with his brother about two hours drive from town. He was going to bring Tsukiko, but she had to watch her little cousin and couldn't come. He left school that day alive, and never came back. Mariko got the news through Hiroshi when he came back from school: Katsuro and his brother were driving in the dark during a snowstorm when his brother lost control of the car. His brother was paralyzed from the waist down from then on and Katsuro was killed on impact. Tsukiko didn't come to school after that day, and no one had seen her for four months. Everyone thought she had killed herself and her brother was lying about her still being alive, but Mariko knew better. She was stronger than that.

"You're trying to move on," Mariko said. "That's what counts."

"No, I'm not moving on. That's the thing," she said exasperatedly. "I'm _coping. _Not accepting, just coping. I'm past the point where I want to kill myself to be with him, but I… I just don't think I'll ever be able to love again. Do you think that's what will happen to your loved ones when you… leave?"

"That's what I'm trying to prevent," Mariko muttered. "I don't want my mom to be like this, or any of my friends, or Raiden… no offense."

"None taken. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy," Tsukiko shuddered. "And you know he may end up like this anyway."

"Who?"

"Raiden," Tsukiko said. "You're his whole world. Heck, I'm pretty sure you're the only thing left that really makes him happy. What makes you think he wouldn't take your death worst of all?"

"I love him so much," Mariko whimpered. "I don't think I could ever think about that."

"If you really do love him, you should start."

"It's such a reality even if it doesn't feel like one," Mariko pulled her knees up to her chest. "I feel like I'm just in a nightmare and any second I'm going to wake up and it'll all be okay. But I'm not, and it's not going to be okay. I'm going to die, and while I'm passing through the pearly gates all I'm going to think about are my mother and Raiden and all of the people who have to mourn my passing."

"You care so much about other people," Tsukiko sighed. "I was so selfish for so long, only thinking about how _I _felt inside. I never realized how much I was hurting other people by being so sad. My parents were worried sick about my mental health, and at first I thought that when they sent me to all those doctors and psychiatrists, they were just trying to make me more miserable, but now I see that they went to those measures to help me.

"And my brother too. He did so much for me. All the times he went to school and sucked it up when he'd rather be here making sure I didn't swallow a bottle of pills… I never cared about what he thought about my being so despondent. He's my fraternal twin, for god's sake. Then… everything kind of fell into perspective."

"How?"

"Well…" she began, but she was cut off by her bedroom door swinging open.

"Kiko?" Hiroshi, her brother, was in the doorway. His school uniform jacket was slung over his shoulder like he had just walked in the door. His inky eyes scanned the room and fell on Mariko, and his face twisted into a scowl. "Oh. You're here."

"Roshi, you should go call mom and see when she'll be back from work," Tsukiko prompted.

Hiroshi gave Mariko another long, hard stare, then ran his hands through his indigo hair, turned on his heel, and was out of sight. Tsukiko pressed her hands to her temples and said, "I'm sorry about that."

"I don't think I've gotten a greeting like that since…"

"Kairi?"

"Precisely."

"He's been different ever since I started to lose it," Tsukiko explained. "It's like he thinks everyone is out to get me or take advantage of my delicate state. Like everyone thinks I'm a freak and he's the only thing between them and me. It's appreciated but unnecessary."

"He's going through as much of a change as you are," Mariko said. "Let him guard you; it'll help him fulfill himself."

"Believe me, I am," Tsukiko said. "In a way, I kind of rely on it."

"I know what you mean," Mariko agreed. She looked over to Tsukiko and saw that she was fiddling with something around her neck. Thinking back, Mariko had seen her doing it a number of times during school and even a few times just as they were talking. "What's that?"

"This?" Tsukiko pulled out a long chain and at the end of it was a small heart-shaped metal pendant. It was engraved at the bottom _AS _among little lacy flourishes. "It was my mom's. The letters at the bottoms are her initials. Her maiden name, of course because my dad gave it to her before they were married."

"It's a locket?"

"Yeah, but I could never open it," Tsukiko pouted. "It must be jammed."

"May I see it for a moment?" Mariko asked.

"If you want to try and open it, go ahead. It won't work; hasn't for anyone. No way, no how–"

Tsukiko never finished her thought. With one tug, Mariko opened the locket.

Inside, there were two sides, like any old locket. On one side, there was a picture. It looked like it was taken in a photo booth and taken off a strip of images. It was of a boy and a girl, around eighteen or nineteen. The girl had a young look to her, being so small. She looked happy and was in the middle of laughing when the picture was taken. Next to her with his arm slung around her playfully was a taller guy who was very handsome and was looking at her like she was the last ray of sun in the universe.

"These… are my parents," Tsukiko sputtered. "I've never seen a photo of them before college."

Mariko saw it now; how much Hiroshi and Tsukiko resembled these people. Hiroshi had the height and good looks of his father with the hair color and eye color of his mother, while Tsukiko has her mother's small physique and even though her hair was lighter, Mariko could see she got it from her father.

Something fell out of the opposite side of the locket. No, _two _things. They twirled through the air and settled on the floor before either of them thought to move. The girls glanced at each other before Tsukiko reached down and picked them up. They were awfully strange things to put in a locket.

"Paper?" Mariko asked.


	4. Chapter 4

**I wish spell-check actually knew what I was thinking of typing T.T**

**I just got my hair cut, and it is WAY shorter than I thought. I'm not sure if that's good or bad; we'll see! According to my traffic graph, lots of people actually made it past chapter 1. Awww, you really do care! I have faith that I will actually be able to finish this successfully, so let's do it together one step at a time! So now we're on step 3: get chapter 3 done.**

**Also, I'm horribly sorry for all the spelling and grammar mistakes. I'm terrible at proofreading. **

**Arrivederci,**

**x-LiveFantasy-x**

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"Why would your mom have two scraps of paper in her locket?" Mariko asked.

"I think I've seen this before," Tsukiko muttered, turning the scraps over in her hand. "Just regular paper scraps… I don't know, it's like déjà vu or something."

"How so?"

"Well, my mom was big into the occult, especially as a teen. That's what she does for a living, actually: she's a professor at the university who teaches all sorts of stuff about it. The intrigue kind of passed down to me, so I was doing some research on some simple charms and I think at some point came across something similar," Tsukiko explained.

"Similar like they both use paper scraps?" Mariko asked.

"Yeah, if I remember correctly," Tsukiko got up and fetched her laptop. After booting it up, she typed in a few commands and brought up the search engine. "The blog belonged to this girl named Naho. And… here we go."

She clocked on the website, but a pop-up appeared on the screen.

"'This website has been blocked,'" Mariko read off.

"Why would this be blocked on my computer?" Tsukiko's face twisted into a confused look. "I've never come across anything else blocked on here before."

"Can you unblock it?"

"I think so," Tsukiko typed in a few more commands, but everything was denied. She made an annoyed noise and yelled through the door and down the stairs, "Hey Roshi! Do you know how to unblock websites?"

"Uh, yeah," he yelled back. "You just go to your home screen and –"

"What?"

"Hold on!" There was the sound of feet on stairs, then Hiroshi came back into the room. Mariko hadn't noticed before, but he did bear a striking resemblance to his father, which is probably why most of the girls in the school found him devastatingly attractive. He took the laptop from his sister and while it perched precariously on his forearm he typed rapidly and clicked the enter button. "There. That should do it."

"Thank you," she kissed his cheek then pushed him out and closed the door.

She clicked on the blog URL again and this time the page came up. The title read, "Naho's Blog" and the last post was made long before either of the girls was born. The post, being the most recent, was displayed at the top of the blog, so they found it with no trouble.

"That's it!" Tsukiko pulled up the full version. "This is what I found at school! There was no block on the site there."

"It says it's called the 'Sachiko Ever After' charm," Mariko scanned the post. "It's performed between friends. It says that if carried out correctly, the participants will be friends forever."

"Sounds…"

"Awesome!"

"Weird."

"Tsukiko, I want to do this charm with everyone," Mariko exclaimed. "I know it's stupid and maybe I'm too superstitious, but I feel like I need to do this. Why else would the locket have opened for me when it couldn't for anyone else?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"Okay then," Tsukiko said as Mariko and her crowded the screen to read for further detail. "Let's do this."

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"A charm?" Raiden looked down at the little paper doll Mariko was holding in her hand.

He knew something was up with Mariko. Ever since they were kids, they always walked to and from school together since they lived on the same block, but that morning she wasn't there. He'd found out from Hiroshi that she'd spent the night at Tsukiko's, but no one knew why.

_This must be why, _he thought when she came into the classroom.

"Yeah," Mariko looked at her feet and blushed. "You must think it's stupid, but according to the legend of the charm if preformed the right way, the participants could stay together forever. In spirit, I guess, but nonetheless. I mean, we don't have much time left, so… I just wanted you to know I'll always be with you."

"You've always been the superstitious type," Raiden recalled with a small smile, the previous statement sending a chilled spike through his heart. "If it makes you feel better, then I'm in."

"I don't want it to be just us, though," Mariko said. "I want all my friends to be a part of it."

"Of course," Raiden knew she wasn't one to leave people out of things. He turned around to Aya and Yuji who were talking and said, "Aya! Ji! You want to see something cool?"

"Would I!" Aya eagerly jumped out of her seat.

"What are you going to do with a paper doll?" Yuji asked, examining the paper figure. "It doesn't look like anything special."

"It's used in a charm," Tsukiko explained. "If you do the charm then all the participants will be friends forever."

"What's going on in here?" There was a rustle behind the door and it opened up to reveal little Aiko at the door. "There's a lot of noise. I can hear it from down the hall!"

"C'mere Aiko," Raiden motioned her over to where everyone was standing. "You want to do something fun?"

"Sure!"

"Osamu, Kioshi, you guys want in?" Yuji asked.

Kioshi shrugged as Osamu said, "I don't usually take part in such trivial frivolities, but if it's from Mariko I guess I can make an exception."

"Oh, well look what we have here!" Raiden cringed as they all turned to see Kairi and Takashi waiting behind their group. "A little dweeb cult. How nice."

"Can it, Kairi," Yuji spat.

"I hope you all weren't expecting to do your little… whatever it is without _us?" _She pushed herself to the middle of the group. Then, clearing her throat, she said loudly so the teacher could hear, "Because you shouldn't be allowed to do it if everyone can't."

The teacher looked up from his morning paper and murmured, "Let them participate too. Now please, don't trash the room while I'm gone." He walked out and shut the door behind him, leaving everyone huddled in the middle of the room.

"You heard him," Kairi forced herself and Tamaki in, grabbing their sections. "Grin and bear it, losers."

Mariko looked very distraught, so instinctively – like he'd done it a hundred times before when she was sad – Raiden laced his fingers through hers. She gave a meager smile and said, "All we have to do is say, 'Sachiko, we beg of you' in unison, once for every participant. So, eleven times. Is everyone ready?"

"Good to go!" Aiko chirped.

"Okay," Tsukiko said. Then the chanting began:

"Sachiko, we beg of you," Kioshi was expressionless.

"Sachiko, we beg of you," Osamu had his eyes closed the whole time.

"Sachiko, we beg of you," Aiko was bouncing up and down with excitement.

"Sachiko, we beg of you," Aya was concentrating deeply, making sure not to mess up in timing.

"Sachiko, we beg of you," Yuji's hand was twitching, like he couldn't sit still.

"Sachiko, we beg of you," Tamaki was looking very nervous.

"Sachiko, we beg of you," Kairi was looking straight at Mariko with a smug grin on her face.

"Sachiko, we beg of you," Tsukiko looked broken.

"Sachiko, we beg of you," Hiroshi was right by his sister's side.

"Sachiko, we beg of you," Raiden was too aware of Mariko pressed against his side.

"Sachiko, we beg of you!" Mariko looked calmer then she had ever been as the chanting ceased.

_R-r-r-i-i-i-i-i-p! _The doll tore into eleven uneven pieces, each one going to someone different.

They all stood in silence, holding their own scraps. Nothing happened; Raiden felt no change at all. _Did we do it right? Is this how it's supposed to feel?_

"Is that IT?" Kairi busted out, shattering the silence. "What a load of bullshi –"

She was cut off by the sudden jerk of the ground underneath them. It was like a rug had been swiped from underneath them; they all tumbled back onto their butts and forward onto their knees as vicious tremors rocked the whole school. Paintings broke, cabinets fell, and the desk began to roll to one side of the room as reality slowly crumbled. It felt like an earthquake, but seemed like so much more than one.

"What's happening?" Aya shrieked as she tumbled towards the middle of the room.

"Look!" Tsukiko cried, pointing madly towards the center of the room where Aya rolled.

The floorboards were dissipating into an endless sea of blackness. The swirls of mixed reality and shadow formed a vortex of chaos below as the whole room began to fall down into it, sucked by an unknown, hellish force. The door flew off its hinges into the black pit and a desk from upstairs crashed through the ceiling, spewing debris everywhere. Raiden covered Mariko's head as the windows imploded and glass rained down on them. Hiroshi grabbed for his sister, but she was sucked into the hole where Aya disappeared, screaming shrilly as she went down. Aiko was holding on to Osamu and Kioshi like a life boat but she too was lost in a flurry of plaster and wind. Yuji and Hiroshi tumbled in, followed by Osamu and Kioshi until finally it was just Raiden and Mariko clinging for their lives onto a piece of the cracking floorboard.

"Raiden, don't let go!" He didn't know if she meant from her or the floorboard, but he wasn't going to let go of either one. The wood began to make little snaps, breaking from the middle out to the edges under Raiden's hand.

"I can't!" he whimpered as the board came out from under his fingertips. "Hold on!"

They both succumbed to the wind and the darkness, tangled together, as the world disappeared behind them.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello again :)

I'm sorry the last chapter was so short, but I'm making up for it with this longer one.

So it's happening again. Heavenly Host has taken in its newest victims. Damn Sachiko can't take the hint that killing is wrong, I guess. This was a very fun chapter to write for me and I hope you guys like it! Leave your comments in your reviews. I take into account every word you guys have to say. Thanks!

Arrivederci,

x-LiveFantasy-x

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_Mariko and Raiden were still laughing, the sound echoing through the large tiled bathroom in his house. The fancy floors were littered with the peel-off portions of Band-Aids and towels that were soaked with water. While Raiden's mother went downstairs to get them some peroxide for the cuts, they both took turns sticking Band-Aids on themselves and the other in all the places where they didn't need them just because they could._

"_I can't believe it held up that long!" she giggled._

"_Yeah, I didn't even think the wagon could fit both of us, let alone ride down the hill without falling over!" _

"_Well, not until the end."_

"_Where we fell right into the creek!" Raiden snickered. "It was awesome!"_

"_It's winter though. The water was so cold!" Mariko squealed._

_The door clicked and pushed open. Raiden's mom walked in with new towels, a big brown bottle of peroxide, and some cotton balls. She had just returned home from work and wasn't even able to sit down and take her shoes off before Mariko and Raiden showed up at the door, covered in cuts and scratches and soaked to their bones. She still had her tight bun in and her heels on as she sat on the edge of the tub with them._

"_I don't even know what possessed you two to do that," she shook her head. "Raiden's wagon is battered and so are you two!"_

"_Eh, it was old anyways," he snuck a sideways smile at Mariko and she giggled again in spite of herself._

"_Mariko, sweetie, could you take off your coat for me? It's soaked and that's not good for you," Raiden's mom asked._

"_Sure," she unbuttoned her coat. "Thanks for taking care of us, Mrs. Nakamura."_

"_It's never a problem, Mariko... Oh!" Mrs. Nakamura sounded shocked at the end because when Mariko took off her coat, she was covered in huge bruises. They were puffy and angry and most were the size of oranges. _

_Mariko looked down at herself and whimpered. "What happened to me?"_

"_Sweetie, we should call your mom," Raiden's mom said frantically as she blotted all her open cuts with peroxide. They stung a little, but what worried Mariko the most was that the bleeding wasn't stopping. "You might be anemic. This looks like a sure sign."_

"_No," Mariko said. "It's fine, really."_

"_Mom's right," Raiden said, his eyebrows knitting together. "You don't look so good."_

"_I don't want her to worry. It's really no big deal. I'll just stick a few more bandages on and I should be fine."_

"_If you're sure," Raiden muttered, sticking another Band-Aid on her face._

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When Raiden opened his eyes, he immediately knew something was wrong.

His head was pounding and he felt like someone just decked him in the jaw. His ribs felt like they were made of barbed wire and as he sat up he felt a jabbing pain in his side. Did he break one? Maybe. He never felt the pain of breaking a rib before, so he didn't know what to think of it. He coughed, but no blood came up. He figured that was a good sign.

Suddenly, his memory came rushing back to him. The ritual, the black hole…

_Mariko, _he thought, his blood turning to ice in his veins. He stood up with difficulty and looked around for his best friend. _Is she okay?_

As he searched the room for her, pushing broken desks away, he realized that the decrepit classroom he was standing in was_ not_ his homeroom. The walls were a sickly green color and there were holes dappling the floor all around his feet. He had to watch his step just to make sure he didn't fall in or make a new gap. Everything about the room felt unstable as he noticed how rotted the desks and podium looked. There were ripped pieces of paper with notices stamped on them that were so faded that Raiden couldn't read most of them. Dust twirled in the air, like something in the room had been disturbed, and there was a cracked portion in the floor that had only half broken through. Could that have been from when he and Mariko fell in? He was glad they didn't fall all the way through. He noticed in that moment that his black jacket was ripped and blood was dribbling down the side of his arm, staining his jeans. He clutched his upper arm to quell the flow of red, but it offered little help.

Out of the corner of his eye, Raiden spotted something. There was a figure resting on the platform the podium was standing on. Squinting in the poor light, he recognized the silhouette immediately.

_Mariko! _He rushed over to her, ignoring the pains in his side and arm. He flipped her over so she was facing up and saw she wasn't moving. Was she unconscious... or worse? A huge bruise had blossomed on her forehead. Her sun-blonde hair was caked with dust and little specks of blood that were coming from a gash on her shoulder. No matter what he did, he couldn't stop the bleeding. _Please, please don't let her be dead…_

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Yuji woke with a start to a huge clattering sound. He shot bolt upright so quickly his head spun and his heart was beating so fast he expected to either faint or have his chest explode, whichever came first.

_What the hell just happened? _He looked around confusedly. _I'm dreaming, right? I must have passed out or something. What is this place?_

He was in the middle of… a library? Yeah, a library. He was surrounded by shelves full of books and the smell of rotting paper permeated the air around him. As he stood up, brushing himself off, he noticed that there were bugs crawling all over the books and they were so dilapidated that their titles and covers were barely legible. He shook out his ruby-streaked dark hair and dust fell out of it like snow. His back was killing him, probably from the fall he took when he was sucked in. Where were the others?

_Forget that, _he thought. _Where am _I?

Yuji looked around, but saw no one else around him. He felt something strange, though, like a presence of some sort. He couldn't quite explain it, but the room gave him chills. He began to walk towards the southern end of the library, taking in the scene. Doors came into view at the end. When he came up to them, he saw that they were really, really old. He reached out and took the large metal handle in his hands. He pushed, but nothing happened. He pulled; no dice either. After a few seconds of violently tugging on the handle, he found that it wouldn't budge an inch.

He stepped back, examining the door in a frustrated manner before kicking it hard with his heel. He immediately regretted that decision because the doors didn't move at all. In fact, he felt like he'd just kicked a brick wall. Pain shot through his ankle and shin and he lost his balance, falling back onto the hard floor again. He looked incredulously at the doors-that-were-not-really-doors standing unmoved in front of him. He was looking around, trying to scope out another exit, when a scream echoed through the huge space.

Yuji's head snapped around to try to figure out where the sound came from, but only silence met his ears. He scrambled up and held his head like he had a migraine. _I must have hit my head when I fell…_

But that was no hallucination. Another scream rang out, this time coming from the right of him. His gut lurched and he found himself running towards the sound, rounding corners and twining through aisles full of rotting books stacked in cracked, stately shelves. _I've heard that scream before… _He thought as he came into the center area of the library.

What Yuji saw, he could barely comprehend. Lying on the floor, propped up only on her elbows, was Tsukiko. Her eyes were like huge discs of platinum, frozen in a look of sheer terror. Looming over her, feet planted on either side of her knees, was a strange blue figure that glowed with an ominous light. The figure was of a child – no, not a child. A pre-teen girl. She was petite but not particularly short, with the build of a seventh grader. She was dressed in a school uniform, but Yuji couldn't recognize the school it belonged to at all. Her hair was choppy and uneven, long in some parts and nearly scalped in others, like a preschooler had taken a weed whacker to her thick locks. Blood stained the front of her shirt and to Yuji's horror he saw the liquid was originating from a gigantic, artery-severing slash to her throat. Gore hung from her neck, her severed vocal cords swinging about as if they were torn from her neck deliberately.

As the girl inched closer to Tsukiko, she tried to squirm away, but the girl fell forwards, throwing her full weight onto Tsukiko's chest, pinning her forearms to the ground. Tsukiko tried to kick away from her, but there was a huge gash on her leg that prevented her from doing so. The girl opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a disgusting gurgling sound, followed by a swath of blood pouring from her mouth and the gash in her throat. Though it stained the girl's skirt, not a drop got on Tsukiko. That's when Yuji knew this girl couldn't have been human.

In a split second, Yuji assessed his options. He could run, but that would mean that creature would kill Tsukiko. He could go find help, but by then the creature might be done with Tsukiko and come for him. And there was no exit save the doors that really weren't doors.

Feeling like a moron, he yelled out, _"Hey!" _and threw one of the miniature screwdrivers in his back pocket at the girl's head.

The little metal object soared right through the girl's cranium and clattered on the floor, skittering to the other side of the room and under a shelf. Her head snapped up and her dead, soulless eyes met his as she gurgled once more and rose up from on top of Tsukiko. Tsukiko scrambled out, limping on her left leg, as the girl began to clamber towards Yuji. He tried to run, but his legs wouldn't cooperate. Was this what shock felt like?

Tsukiko hurried over to him as fast as she could with her bad leg and screamed, "RUN!"

Despite fear running through his system like poison, he didn't think twice. They both took off towards the doors on the other end of the library, the creature hot on their tail.

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"Kiko!" Hiroshi called out desperately into the hallway. "Tsukiko! Answer me!"

The sound of his voice echoed through the dark hall until it disappeared completely, eliciting no response. He ran out from the doorway and called out again, louder this time, but nobody answered him. The walls around him almost seemed to drink in every sound he made.

"Come on, sis, talk to me!" He yelled, but he knew that she wasn't there to hear him.

_It's no use, Hiroshi,_ a piteous voice inside him whispered. _She's not there._

"She has to be! _Someone _has to be!" He cried out in response to his own conscience, his tone growing more and more frustrated with each passing moment.

His heart was pounding, adrenaline surging through his system, fueling his anger. He knew that sooner or later he was going to pop, just like he usually did. Figuring that it was better to get it out sooner rather than later, he turned around and slammed his fist into the cracking wall. Pain shot through his ligaments, setting his nerves on fire as the raw skin began to bleed on his knuckles. The wallpaper cracked, but the wall itself wasn't damaged at all. He turned around and slid down the wall, pushing his hands into his hair, anger slowly ebbing out of him.

That's when he noticed a pair of big, honey colored eyes watching him from around the corner, belonging to a pale, shocked face. The girl was watching him nervously the whole time and he hadn't known she was there. Hell, he didn't even see her collapsed in the room with him.

"I'm… sorry you had to see that," he said after a moment of silence.

"It's okay," she said, taking a deep breath to – Hiroshi assumed – suppress her fear. "You have a right to be worried about her. It's fine."

_Great, _he thought to himself. _Someone else who's afraid of me. _

"You look familiar," he said. "Have we met before?"

"You're Tsukiko's brother. Hiroshi, yeah?" she said. "We share a homeroom."

Looking at her closer in the light now, Hiroshi recognized her. This was the new girl at their school – Aya was her name, wasn't it? He recognized her from that morning; how could he have not known who she was? Hiroshi had missed a lot of school in the short time Aya was there, so their paths didn't cross a lot. Thinking back, Hiroshi _had_ seen her a lot in homeroom, but she was often by herself or talking to Mariko, who was their resident welcome-wagon for new kids. But something else seemed oddly familiar.

"Never mind," he brushed it off, even though he was still curious. "Do you know where my sister went after that hole swallowed us up? Actually, scratch that – do you know where _anyone _went?"

"I can't remember anything from the moment I fell in to the time I woke up in that classroom back there," she gestured behind her. "Can you?"

"No, I can't remember anything either," he admitted. As he stood up and brushed the excess dust off his pants, he discovered that he towered over Aya. He was at least seven or eight inches taller than her, give or take. He didn't ever notice how short she was; she couldn't have been taller than 5'2" or 5'3". It painfully reminded him of Tsukiko, who was small as well, even though Aya had a more athletic build and Tsukiko was thin and petite. He would find her, wherever she was.

Seeing the worried look fall across his face, she spoke up, "We'll find her. Everyone else, too. We just have to keep moving," Hiroshi could almost see the gears in her head start to turn as she strategized, looking around them for a lead. "There has to be an exit somewhere here… wherever 'here' is. All we have to do is find it"

"And maybe find out where we actually are," Hiroshi habitually ran his fingers through his hair – something he always did when he was thinking.

"That too," she peered down to the end of the hallway then gestured for him to follow her. "Come on. I think I see something down the end."


End file.
